Scientists: 'Shocked' Potatoes More Nutritious

(NewsCore) - Potatoes should be given electric shock treatment to make them healthier, scientists said Sunday.

Researchers at Obihiro University in Japan found that zapping spuds with electric shocks forces them to produce more antioxidants, which protect the human body from cell damage.

The process involved immersing whole potatoes in salty water and zapping them for up to half an hour. Scientists then tested the spuds and found antioxidant levels rose by up to 50 percent. Other tests using ultrasound on the potatoes proved to be similarly beneficial.

Dr. Kazunori Hironaka, who headed the research, suggested that the inexpensive electric shock process could be used at an industrial level to make potatoes a so-called superfood.

"Antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables are considered to be of nutritional importance in the prevention of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, various cancers, diabetes and neurological diseases," said Hironaka. “We found that there hasn't been any research on the healthful effects of using mechanical processes to stress vegetables, so we decided in this study to evaluate effect of ultrasound and electric treatments on polyphenols and other antioxidants in potatoes."

The findings were presented at the 240th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston, Mass.